


A Second Sense

by DragonsBeHere



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ben tries to be angsty, Covers what on earth is going on with Finn's Force Sensitivity, Except when Paige is mentioned, F/F, Kaydel's having none of it, Kylo Ren Redemption, Multi, Rey and Ben are Force Sibings, Spoilers for The Rise of Skywalker, When it becomes angst central for Kaydel, canon? Who's she?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:07:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22071517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonsBeHere/pseuds/DragonsBeHere
Summary: When Finn's force sensitivity starts increasing dangerously, Lieutenant Kaydel Ko Connix journeys across the stars - with the help of Ben Solo - to determine what's going on. But can she cope with travelling with the person who got her girlfriend killed. And what does Finn condition mean for the future of the galaxy.
Relationships: Finn/Poe (unrequited), Finn/Rose Tico, Kaydel Ko Connix & Ben Solo, Kaydel Ko Connix/Paige Tico, Rey & Ben Solo
Kudos: 4





	1. An unusual only hope

**Author's Note:**

> Seriously, no reading is you haven't watched The Rise of Skywalker.  
> If you watch the Phantom Menace, it will make more sense.   
> This is my first fic, and although I have chapter two almost complete, it is unlikely to be finished.

Ben is alone.   
Again.  
Rey, his sister through the force, is on a personal quest to Tatooine, leaving him behind at the old resistance base. There are quite a few others there. Whole planets were destroyed in the war, and many former rebels were left with nowhere to return.   
All his fault.   
They hate him. He doesn’t even need the force to know it. It’s clear in their forced smiles, their choked-out words, their sideways glances. They would love to make him pay for his crimes, but he was granted amnesty after helping Rey defeat Emperor Palpatine. That, and the fact that they are scared of him.  
Of what he might do.  
Of what he can do.  
Of what he won’t do.  
They know and they are still scared. Even Lieutenant Kaydel Ko Connix.  
But he’s her only hope. 

“Lieutenant Connix,” Ben was perched on a fallen tree, one of the ones Rey had accidently cut down. It looked like he had been crying. “What a surprise.”  
“Greetings to you also, Master Solo,” Kaydel said, standing awkwardly next to him. She attempted to keep her voice neutral and friendly. She failed, but he didn’t seem to notice.  
“It’s just Ben. I haven’t earned the title.”  
“What do you mean you haven’t earnt the title.”  
“I was a Sith, the embodiment of evil, the abusers of the force. How dare I take the title of Jedi. I don’t deserve it.”  
Kaydel sighed. This was wasting time – time she didn’t know if she had. “Get over it, Ben. You are no longer a Sith. The Dark side is gone.”  
Ben stared at her, “How could you possibly know that, it’s more complicated than you think, it’s- Oh.” He stopped. “You’re force sensitive.”

It was true. As long as she could remember she had seen lights flickering across people. Not everyone, just a few. Some people had small flames like candles near their hearts. Others, the light surrounded them. Maz Kanata shone like a beacon. Rey and Leia were positively vibrating with the force. Ben’s aura was slightly dimmer, injured from his time on the dark side. But other than that, no traces of his time as Kylo Ren were left.   
“So, what is Lieutenant Force-sensitive coming to see me for. I doubt this is a social call.” His words were accusing, but his tone was grateful.  
“My name is Kaydel, and you’re right. I need advice.”  
Ben seemed taken aback at this. “Advice? Why me then. I’m hardly a wellspring of knowledge.”  
Kaydel gave a worried laugh, “It’s about the Force. Maz left, Rey is on her quest, Leia is… gone and the other two people left that could give advice, one is the problem. So, you are the only person left.”  
Ben, now interested, gestured for her to sit on the tree beside him. “Okay then. Ask away.”  
“You know Finn, right?”  
“FN2087? Rey’s friend?”  
“Umm, I guess.” Kaydel hadn’t heard the string of numerals before, but it seemed about right. “Well he’s always been a bit force sensitive. That’s what made him and the others desert.”  
“Really? I didn’t detect anything.”  
“Yeah, but you were probably distracted. Sorry. Well, shortly after the Battle of Crait, his force sensitivity started increasing unlike anything ever recorded before.”  
“Anything?”  
“Yes, anything. I check databanks from three galaxies, the Resistance, the old Republic and Rebellion, and the First Order.”  
“How the hell did you get into the First Order Databanks?”  
“Shush. I even checked Rey’s Jedi Texts. There is no record of this ever happening to a normal person.”  
“By normal person, you mean…”  
“A person with no Jedi potential.”  
“Great, so now I’m abnormal.”  
“Ben, I didn’t mean it like that.”  
“Sure you didn't. But how do you know he doesn’t have Jedi potential. It’s not uncommon for a Jedi’s ability to be triggered later on in life. Like Rey was triggered by Luke’s lightsabre.” Ben offered, but Kaydel shook her head and kept talking.  
“I thought that at first, but something isn’t right. You know how Force sensitivity is determined by the number of midi-chlorians in your blood. Normally, an untriggered Jedi has the right number of midi-chlorians but they’re inactive. I compared a blood test we took from Finn when he first joined and compared it with one taken after the Battle of Crait and one after the Exegol business.” Kaydel took a rolled-up piece of parchment from her belt.   
Ben looked at it with a snort of amusement. “Ancient, much?” Kaydel jabbed him with her elbow.  
“I couldn’t sneak a tablet out without one of the droids noticing. But look at the data: Low, same and much higher.” She indicated with her finger. Ben snatched the sheet from her.   
“This is unbelievable. Truly unbelievable. I’ve heard of people attempting to increase their force sensitivity through blood transfusions of midi-chlorians – that doesn’t work by the way, so don’t go sticking any needles in me – but never of someone’s midi-chlorian count increasing on their own.” Ben smiled, “And I’ve read the Sith manuscripts. Now this is all very interesting, but you still haven’t actually asked me anything.”  
“Fine. Could this be dangerous to Finn?”  
“Oh, I wasn’t expecting that?”  
“What? He’s my gi- Rose’s boyfriend. And Poe’s friend.” She added, a tad defensively.  
“Very well.” Ben nodded “The answer is, I have no idea.”  
“Seriously?”  
“Well I do have a very bad feeling about this. It’d be worth checking with someone else, but something like this could potentially be dangerous, to him and the new Republic.”  
Kaydel got to her feet, “Do you want to come with me?”  
“Come with you where?”  
“To check with someone else, helmet head.”  
“Unnecessarily harsh. But yes, yes I will come.”  
“Really?”   
“It would be good to do something. I don’t exactly have a family to get back to.” For a second, Ben’s words were bitter, but he forced a smile for Kaydel’s sake. “I need a break from this place. Everywhere I look, I’m reminded of Leia. My parents.”  
“Ah. That’s a problem.”  
“What?”  
“There’s only one ship that can get us where we need to go. We’re taking the Millennium Falcon.”


	2. Memory

The Millennium Falcon was empty. Rey had taken an X-wing, the Porgs were back on Ahch-To for the breeding season and Chewbacca was with them. It may look like a ‘hunk of junk’ but it was a ship of legend.  
Kaydel had never learnt to pilot a ship, which was another reason she needed Ben. She loved to travel, but her coordination left much to be desired. Paige was the pilot, despite her insisting that one day Kaydel would learn to fly. After the war, maybe.  
That would never happen.  
She shook herself free of the past. “The access code is-”  
“0934578,” Ben finished, and Kaydel glanced at him in surprise. “My father used to take me flying in it, before… ”  
Oh. She knew Han was his father, but in her head, she’d never thought of either Han or Ben would be bonding types. Then again, it was also hard to believe that Ben was responsible for millions of deaths. Including…  
No. Forget that. For Rose. For Finn. For Poe, kinda.  
And speaking of Poe.  
The dark-haired pilot was jogging towards the Falcon. He normally had BB8 at his heels, but since he had gone to Tatooine with Rey, R2-D2 had taken his place.  
“Hey Kaydel. What are you doing with the Falcon? You know no one has permission to fly it except Chewie, Rey and-”  
“Ben. Yes, he’s just inside.”  
Poe looked shocked, “What are you doing with Ben?”  
“We’re going on a mission. He’s my pilot.”  
“Why are you hanging out with him? I could pilot for you?” Poe offered.

Kaydel had been lost in thought outside the ship for a while now, so Ben had gone inside without her. The ship was exactly as he remembered it. From the beaten up, smuggled essentials to the random and frankly unnecessary features his father had added on a whim. The UV scanners may look very cool, but they diverted to much power from the central processers. But most of all, he loved the vibrations of the machinery, the thrum of the engine. They took him back to a safer place and released a part of him that had lain dormant for many years.  
But it hurts so bad. All those snatched moments of the past, all the ones that could have been. He can see echoes of Han all around him, in the very essence of the ship. It felt like someone dragging his soul away, but he just swallowed and made his way further in. He was helping people; his father would have wanted that.  
He stopped by a dormant monitor and pressed the power button. The screen crackled to life, showing footage from outside.  
“Why are you hanging out with him? I could pilot for you.” Poe offered, and Ben laughed bitterly. It was obvious who Kaydel would choose. A mass murderer or a trusted friend? Not exactly quantum mechanics. But to his surprise, a very different answer came.  
“Sorry, Poe but I need Ben for this.”  
“Why?” Poe protested.  
“It’s about the Force. He knows it better than anyone here and certainly better than you.”  
Poe didn’t seem convinced. “Kaydel, I’m not leaving you alone with him.”  
Poe’s words stung, but he didn’t expect anything less. Carefully, Ben tapped into the Force and whispered into Kaydel’s mind, ‘Tell him it’s for Finn.’  
Kaydel didn’t even flinch from the invasion of her brain space. “Poe let me go. For Finn’s sake.”  
“Finn? what about him?”  
“We think he has some sort of Force sickness. It might be nothing but-”  
“I’m definitely coming with you now.”  
“No. We need you here, keeping an eye on him. Keep us updated in any changes. Helping us with information. It’s the best way to protect him.”  
Ben could see, even on the grainy monitor, that Poe was relenting.  
“Fine! But keep in touch. Don’t let him do that force thingy.” Poe waved his hand in a surprisingly accurate impression of a Jedi mind trick.  
“I will. If all goes well, I’ll see you soon.” Kaydel gave him a quick goodbye wave and entered the Falcon. Ben lingered at the monitor watching Poe walk away, still not satisfied but preoccupied with the thought of an ill Finn. Suddenly, surprising himself, he slipped into Poe’s mind and added a little reassurance. 

“How did you know that would work?”  
Ben jumped; Kaydel was right behind him. “What do you mean?”  
“Telling him about Finn.”  
“Have you seen the way Poe pines over him. Those longing glances. It’s almost a shame that Finn’s dating Rose.”  
Kaydel looked surprised. “You’re more observant than I thought.”  
“Looking into people’s thoughts helps. Where are we going?”  
“Takodana. We’re going to see Maz Kanata. The coordinates should be in the ship’s most recent destinations, if you can access them.”  
“Easy,” Ben lead her into the cockpit, and tapped a few controls on the console. The coordinates popped up, and Ben set the course. He gestured for her to sit in the co-pilot’s seat.  
“What! I can’t fly!” Kaydel sounded panicked, and a tad sad.  
“All you’ll need to do is push some buttons. I’ll direct you.” Ben encouraged, and she sat down with a sigh. “Before we leave, what weapons do we have?”  
“Weapons? Why would we need weapons?”  
“The galaxy is a pretty lawless place. Not to mention First Order Loyalists that remain. You’re a war hero, which makes you a target.”  
“You’re a war hero too.”  
Ben ignored her. “I have my lightsabre, what do you have?” Kaydel pulled out a standard issue blaster, and a smaller, unusual device. “What’s that?”  
“It’s a blaster.”  
“No, the other thing.”  
“This? This is an Electo-shock Probe. It used to belong to… to a friend.”  
“Unusual weapon for a war.”  
“She didn’t believe in killing the enemy. She thought stormtroopers were just being forced. And she was right.” Kaydel said. A single tear trickled down her cheek. Ben didn’t push it. Instead, he started up the engine.  
“Takodana, here we go.” He gave an encouraging smile as the ship began to rise, “And whoever this girl is, make her proud.”  
They left the atmosphere and, with a touch of a button, the sky exploded with stars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had about seven tabs open on wookieepedia while researching this.  
> Apologising for the slight angst. If Ben angsts, Kaydel shuts him down. If Kaydel angsts, Ben lets her.


End file.
